December 21, 2011
The winter solstice is this week for us in the Northern Hemisphere. The sun rises late in the morning and sets early, the day is the shortest, the night is the longest of the year. The solstice happens at the same time for all of us, everywhere on Earth, but the local time is different depending upon the time zones. For us in the North America this year, the solstice is in the morning hours of Thursday, December 22.
The sun is the source of all light and warmth for living things on Earth, our home planet. So you might think that the longest night means that every animal is sleeping and the plants are resting for the winter. But even in the snow and the dark, life goes on. Lakes and ponds may freeze over, but many water animals and plants are active beneath the ice. You can often see deer and other animal tracks on snowy fields. Snow buntings and chickadees search for seeds on snowy trees and bushes. Pines, spruces and other kinds of evergreens keep their leaves all winter long.
The sun is low in the sky all day long, shadows are long and it’s a wonderful time of year to photograph out-of-doors. The winter solstice is also a time to celebrate the return of the light. After the solstice, days get longer and the nights shorter. It’s the endless cycle of the seasons!
So many things you can do over your winter vacation from school! Here are some ideas.
- Try to catch snowflakes on a small piece of black material. Look at each snowflake closely. Use a magnifying lens is you have one. Are they all alike? Maybe you can draw what you see, or take a close-up photo?
- Look for animal tracks in the snow. Can you identify any of them?
- Which kinds of birds stay all winter long: Seed eaters or insect eaters? Why do you think that’s so? Take photos and try to identify the birds you see.
- Do you know how to identify the star constellations? Which ones are more easily seen in winter?
- Are all snows alike? Do all stick to the trees the same way?
I’d like to hear from my readers about their winter solstice explorations!
Photo: Liz Nealon
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Posted by: Seymour Simon
